The Shri Amarnath Yatra convoy was stopped from proceeding out of the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas base camp in Jammu on Saturday, 1 August, after the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed due to heavy rainfall and ongoing repair work. No fresh batch of pilgrims was permitted to travel toward the Kashmir Valley, marking the second consecutive day of disruption on the strategic route.

Why the Highway Was Shut

Officials said incessant rain in Udhampur and Ramban districts rendered the road surface slushy, muddy, and dangerously slippery. Repair work on the Ladha-Samroli stretch in Udhampur district was already underway when fresh spells of rain compounded conditions. Light to moderate rainfall continued on both sides of the highway through Saturday. The highway had also remained closed the previous day for maintenance, though an earlier convoy carrying pilgrims had managed to cross before traffic was fully suspended.

Registration Counters Consolidated at Bhagwati Nagar

In a parallel development, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), which administers the pilgrimage, shifted Yatra registration and token distribution counters from the Tawi River Front to the Bhagwati Nagar base camp. Officials cited a decline in the number of pilgrims arriving in Jammu as the reason for the consolidation. The Tawi River Front had been purpose-built as a centralised mega-facility offering offline registration, token distribution, e-KYC verification, and RFID issuance for Amarnath pilgrims.

Yatra Status: Routes and Numbers

Since the Yatra commenced on 3 July this year, approximately 4.5 lakh devotees have had Darshan at the Himalayan cave shrine, situated 3,880 metres above sea level in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. The shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure revered by devotees as a symbol of the mythical powers of Lord Shiva, which waxes and wanes with the lunar cycle.

The Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp route in south Kashmir has remained suspended for the past 10 days due to track maintenance, while the Baltal base camp route in north Kashmir continues to operate. Pilgrims on the Baltal route complete their Darshan and return the same day, whereas those on the Pahalgam route typically spend 3 to 4 days reaching the shrine.

Helicopter Services Unavailable This Year

Helicopter services to the Yatra are unavailable this season, as the area beyond both base camps has been designated a 'No-fly zone'. The 57-day-long Yatra is scheduled to conclude on 28 August, coinciding with Shravan Purnima and the Raksha Bandhan festival. With the highway disruption adding to existing route suspensions, authorities face mounting pressure to ensure uninterrupted pilgrim movement in the weeks remaining.